Headlight



4 w. A. ROBERTSON HEADLIGHT Filed May 5, 1922 INVENTOR W 99. flier/50x7.

BY Z

' A'TTORNEY Patented Dec. 23, 1924.

cm TED PATENT O HEADLIGHT.

Application filed Mayj, 19 22.

To all whom it 72mg concern:

Be, it known that LWILLIAM A. .Ronnn'r- SON, a citizen of theUnited'states, and resident of Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, and Stateof Ohio, have invented a new zinduseful Improvement in'Headlights, ofwhich the following is, a specification.

' My invention relates to headlights. gener ally and to electrically Iilluminated headlights particularly.

,The object of my invention is an efficient headlight adapted to emitillumination either, in the form of beam of light, or of diffused light,or of both, and toconiine substantially all of. this illuminationbelow aplane on a level withthetop of theheadlight.

I attain this object by mounting a pluralityof reflectors, of certainformation, in certain relationswith two lamps, of-substantial ly: equalcandle-power, as; jdis'tinguished from the usual. dim ,or pilot'lightand the bright lights, and by aswitclrarrangement which permitsthe illumination of either of the lamps separately: or; of bothsimultaneously.

iMy. invention is illustrated in the accompanyingi drawing which showsheadlight constructedaceording to the presentinvention and in which Fig.1, is a general; side View showinga headlight and switchr'F g. "2; is asection of, Figa showing clearly the arrangement of two' lamps in "relaton with a, main. reflector and a sub-reflecto'" and a hood reflector,Fig. 3 is a front end view of Fig. 1, Fig. i isa section of ig. 3, showng a flat subreflejctor, and Fig. 5 is a section taken. similar to Fig.4:, showing a curved subreflector.

, Similar reference characters refer to sim ilar parts throughout theviews.

.The glare of headlights, particularly on automobiles and other,vehicles, isobjection- .able since it blinds drivers going in opposite rdirections.

"Inorder to eliminate this glare, ,the glass of the headlights has been.treated in some .manner, such as painting or frosting, but suchtreatment necessarily weakens the illuminating power of the headlights.resulting in low efficiency.

s m No. 558,693.

The present invention aims to utilize substantially all of the lightemitted by the lamps and direct it out of the headlight as aforesaid. IReferring now particularly to the drawing, a

The case A, open at the front end and obliquely dented in the lowerfront end, is provided with the lamp sockets 10 and 11 into which thelamps 12 and 13 fit.

The main reflectorR, highly polished on the inside, is mounted in thecase A and also has provisions to acconnnodate the sockets 10 a11d11.

The main reflector, R is of concave contour with a substantiallycircular front end interrupted, at the bottom, by a portion thereof,being cut away obliquely in conformity to the dented in portion of thecase A.

The lamp 12 is mounted in the socket 10 and makes theusual electricalconnection therein and has its center of illumination located on theaxisof the reflector R. i

The lamp 13 is mounted in the socketll and makes the usual electricalconnections therein andis, in this instance,located above and ahead ofthe lamp 12 but withiirthe boundaries of the main reflector B.

The subrefiectorB is secured to the obliquelyfdented in portion of thecase A and covers the cut away portion of the reflector Band is highlypolished r otherwise prepared ontlieinsideto act as areflector.

Theformationcf this reflector B may. be flat as shown in: Figs. Land 4,or curyed as shown in ,Fig. 5. l

[The {flat formation of the reflector B shown in section in 2 producesbetter diffused illumination while the curvedformation thereof producesbetter beani'illumi- .nation.

The sub-reflector B is either'flat throughout or curved (as shownin Fig.5) conform ing to the dented in portion of the case A and faces the mainreflector R.

The cover C is hinged to the case A by means of the hinges 14 and hasthe curved glass 15 held in'the frame 16 and. closes'the open front endof the case A.

The hood 17 of the cover C comprises a reflector shield, concave incontour, covering the lamp 13 and the upper portion of the mainreflector R from view and redirecting downwardly the upwardly directedrays from both of the lamps 12 and 13 and from the main reflector R.

The lugs 18 are provided on the case A to permit the headlight to bemounted readily.

The operation of this headlight is as follows:

When the switch arm 19, shown in neutral in Fig. 1, is rotated righthanded to the first contact stop 20, electric current flows from thebattery 21 to the arm 19 and to the con.- tact 20, then to the lead 22,then through the lamp 12, and then back to the battery through theground 23.

The lamp 12 is now emitting light rays in all directions, some of themdirectly forward and out through the glass 15, others impinging upon thereflector R, and others upon the reflector B, and others upon the insideof the hood 17 Some of the rays, which impinge upon the reflector R, aredeflected out through the glass 15, others are reflected upon thereflector B, and others upon the inside of the hood 17. Some of therays, which impinge upon the reflector B, are reflected upon thereflector R where they again are reflected either out through the glass15 or upon the inside of the hood 17, other rays are reflected upon theinside of the hood 17 where they again are reflected either outward ordownward, or upon the reflector R where they are again reflected asstated. Some of the rays which impinge upon the inside of the hood 17are reflected outward and downward, and others are reflected upon thereflector R where they are again reflected as stated and others upon thereflector B where they are again reflected as stated.

The requirement of the present invention is that all, or nearly all, ofthe light rays emitted by the lamp 12 are directed straight out throughthe glass 15 and the curvatures and the disposition of the deflectorsshould be arranged to accomplish this requirement.

The rays of light emitted by the lamp 12 and passing directly outthrough the glass 15, and the rays reflected directly out through theglass by the reflector B, have the same general direction and constituteor form a beam of light straight ahead.

\Vhen the arm 19 is rotated further, in right handed direction, and tothe second contact stop 26, electric current flows from the battery 21to the arm 19 and to the contact 26, then to the lead 27, then throughthe lamp 13, and then back to the battery through the ground 23.

The lamp 13 is now emitting light rays in all directions, some of themdirectly forward and downward and out through the glass 15, othersimpinging upon the reflectors R and B, and others upon the hood 17. Dueto the 01f focus disposition of the lamp 13, these impinging rays arereflected so that they do not collect as a beam of light but so thatthey leave the headlight as a diffused light.

Then the arm 19 is rotated "further, in right handed direction and tothe third contact stop 30, electric current flows from the battery 21 tothe arm 19 and the contact 30, then to the lead 27, then through thelamp 13, and then back to the battery through the ground 23. At the sametime, electric current flows from the battery 21 to the contact 31, thento the lead 32, then through the lamp 12, and then back to the batterythrough the ground 23.

Both of the lamps 12 and 13 are now illuminated and the headlight emitsa beam of light due to the lamp 12, and a diffused light due to the lamp13.

With this switch arrangement, either a beam of light (contact 20) or adiffused light (contact at 26) or a combined beam of light and diffusedlight (contact 30) can be produced.

Various modifications, as to location of the lamps, contour and locationof the reflector-s and of the hood may be made without departing fromthe spirit and intent of the appended claims. Therefore, withoutlimiting myself to the precise construction shown and described,

I claim 1. A headlight comprising, a case, a concave main reflector insaid case, a lamp in said case and having the center of illuminationthereof located on the axis of said main reflector, a second lamp insaid case within the boundaries of said main reflector and the center ofillumination thereof located away from said axis of the main reflector,and sub-reflectors co-operating with and facing said main reflector andboth of said lamps; both of said lamps of equal illuminating power, andsaid reflectors ar ranged so that the illumination of the first saidlamp emits a beam of light from said headlight and that the illuminationof said second lamp emits a difl'used light from said headlight.

2. A headlight comprising, a case, a concave main reflector in said caseand having an open front end interrupted by a subreflector facing saidmain reflector, two lamps of substantially equal illuminating power insaid case, both of said lamps within the boundaries of said mainreflector, the center of illumination of one of said lamps located onthe axis of said main reflector to form the nucleus for a beamof lightwhen the same is illuminating, the center of illumination of the otherof said lamps located away from said axis of the main reflector to formthe nucleus for adiffused light when the same is illuminating, and saidsub-reflector adapted to assist in in the formation of said beam oflight or of said diffused light or of both of said lights.

3. A headlight comprising, a case having an open end and an obliquelyindented portion at the lower front end thereof, a main reflectormounted in said case and cut away at the lower front end thereof inconformity to said indented portion of said case, a sub-reflector onsaid indented portion of said case and over said cut away portion ofsaid main reflector, a lamp in said case and the center of illuminationthereof located on the axis of said main reflector, a second lamp insaid case and the center of illumination thereof located away from saidaxis of said main reflector, a source of electricity for said lamps, anda switch means adapted to selectively connect said source of electricitywith either one or with both of said lamps.

L. A headlight comprising, a case having an open end and an obliquelyindented portion at the lower front end thereof, a main reflectormounted in said case and cut away at the lower front end thereof inconformity to said indented portion of said case, a sub-reflector onsaid indented portion of said case and over said cut away portion ofsaid main reflector, a lamp in said case and the center of illuminationthereof located on the axis of said main reflector, a second lamp insaid case and the center of illumination thereof located away from saidaxis of said inain reflector, a hood on the front of said case and overa portion of said open end thereof, a reflector in said hood, a sourceof electricity for said lamps, and switch means adapted to selectivelyconnect said source of electricity with either one or with both of saidlamps.

WILLIAM A. ROBERTSON.

